Virtual Lesson Solutions for Piano Teachers

A few years ago, I was teaching a lesson to a 6 year old boy. Part way through his lesson, we were playing a duet, and he sneezed on me...From the next room, his dad informed me that he’d had a fever earlier in the day and had stayed home from school that day, but he was feeling better now.

The next morning I woke up with that familiar tickle in my throat, and by afternoon I had a fever myself.

I have a policy requesting that parents cancel lessons if their child was not well enough to go to school, but parents were still having me come for piano lessons if they thought their child was “up to it.”

I’ve realized that this was caused by two main issues:

1. I was not clear and consistent in my communication of my sickness policy.
2. I was not providing an alternative to in-person lessons that would curb parents concerns over their child missing out on a week’s lesson.

Communicate

When in doubt, over-communicate. I used to send out my policies at the start of each term and that was that. I just assumed everyone read it and would remember everything.

People are busy. Parents have a lot to keep track of with school and all of their children’s extra-curricular activities. They appreciate reminders.

With that in mind, I now try to send out a reminder about my sickness policy a few times a year. It may also not be a bad idea to send kids home with a handout every once in a while.

In addition to reminding parents of my missed lesson/sickness policy, I like to use these reminders as an opportunity to communicate with parents the precautions that I take in my studio to prevent the spread of germs such as hand washing, wiping down keys between lessons, canceling lessons when I’m sick myself, etc. It can be a comfort to parents to know that I’m also taking responsibility for keeping their kids healthy.

Have a Contingency Plan

Have a clear policy that works for you. In my studio, I follow similar guidelines to the schools in my area, and I ask that parents cancel lessons if their child may be contagious and/or if they have had a fever in the last 24 hours. I work a few free cancellations into every term, but in order to keep learning consistent or in cases where families have already used up their free cancelations, I also offer a few options for making up missed lessons virtually.

Virtual lessons can also be a great option if in-person lessons become impossible for an extended period of time, perhaps due to health reasons or a move.

Online Lessons

If a student is well enough to have a lesson but for some reason cannot attend lessons in person (maybe they or someone in their household is contagious), we can do an online lesson during their regular lesson time via Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime.

While many teachers are intimidated by the idea of online lessons, they’re actually quite simple to set up.

Platform

I prefer using Zoom because all I have to do is send my student the meeting link to click and join me, but most of us are familiar with the mechanics of making FaceTime or Skype calls as well (I just make sure to get the student’s--or their parent’s--user name ahead of time so that I can call them.

Note: If you do use FaceTime or Skype, please make sure that YOU are the one calling your student, otherwise you risk them calling before you are set up and ready for them. Or, if you teach back to back lessons, they may call early and interrupt your time with another student.

Set Up

Have your student set up their device so that you can see both their face and their hands (side views work best). While a laptop or a tablet is ideal because students will be able to see you more clearly, a phone can be used in a pinch, and they work just fine for an occasional make up lesson.

Ideally you’ll want to have your own device set up similarly so that your student can not only see you but also anything you may wish to demonstrate.

Preparation

Hopefully you’ll have a studio copy of any music your student is working on so that you have something to reference. If you do find yourself stuck at the last moment missing a book, did you know that most Alfred Music method books and much of our supplementary music is also available in a digital format?

If students had any written theory work, have them take a picture of it and text or email it to you before the lesson so that you have time to look it over before their lesson.

And that’s about all it takes! Once you’re in the lesson, things should flow pretty similarly to a regular lesson. One thing to keep in mind is that, due to inevitable delays, it’s pretty difficult to play duets in an online lesson. This is an excellent time for students to pull out their backing tracks!

Video Lessons

This is actually my preferred method for making up lessons due to last minute, sickness-related cancellations because students can do it on their own time as they’re feeling up to it.

Based on the student’s previous assignments, I’ll record a 15-20 minute video reviewing or going over new concepts, technical exercises, and repertoire. I’ll give students a few concrete practice tips, and I may even include a few moments when I ask them to pause the video and practice what I’ve just gone over (much like you’d do in an in-person lesson).

If time permits, I may have students send me video recordings of themselves performing their assignments from the week before, and I can then include feedback and further suggestions in their video lesson.

For video lessons, I’ll simply record them with my phone or tablet (using a set-up similar to the one I use for online lessons), upload them as an unlisted video on YouTube, and send my student the link. They can then watch the lesson at the piano on their preferred device on their own time.

If you’re introducing new concepts in a video lesson, it might also be helpful to send you students links to review videos like Premier Piano Course Online Assistant (which correlate page by page with the method books, but can also be used with any student to review basic theory concepts).

Practice Packets

Most students will have method, theory, and repertoire books that they are working through, so it’s fairly easy to make new assignments from the materials they already have, but I also like to include some exciting new things for students to work on, especially when there will be an extended time before I see them again in person.

I most often include these packets with video lessons, but they’re also a good option if all virtual options are impossible. I know a number of teachers like to prepare them for all their students before things like summer vacation or maternity leave.

Typically I’ll include a page of instructions, maybe suggest a few technical exercises, a few pieces (from a print on demand sight like TotalSheetMusic.com ), and some theory worksheets or activities ( like these! ).

Even when you’re not able to meet a student in person, learning can still continue. A little creativity and some help from technology can keep the progress ball rolling.